KDM states high population of sucker fish indicates river pollution

Bandung (ANTARA) - West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi, familiarly known as KDM, assesses that the high population of sucker fish in various areas is not merely an ordinary natural phenomenon, but a biological indicator signalling that the river water quality has been polluted. According to him, the dominance of this species serves as a terrifying signal of river ecosystem imbalance. This is because the algae-eating fish will only dominate water ecosystems that have undergone heavy pollution, while other endemic fish are unable to survive. “So if a river experiences a decline in quality, the only fish that thrive are sucker fish. Wherever there is polluted water, sucker fish will dominate,” said Dedi in Bandung, West Java, on Thursday. Dedi emphasised that the sucker fish’s adaptability to dirty water has created a deadly monopoly on habitats for local fish. The poor river conditions, he said, have become a space for this species to breed massively without competition. “For all regions, just take and catch the sucker fish. Sucker fish grow when the river has already experienced a decline in quality,” Dedi stated in Bandung on Thursday. Dedi asserted that physically cleaning up the sucker fish will not solve the problem permanently without fundamental improvements to water quality. He outlined two tactical steps that must proceed in tandem to restore habitats for endemic fish. “So if you want to eliminate sucker fish, there are two things. First, the sucker fish must be removed. Second, the water quality must be improved so that the endemic fish can live again,” said Dedi. Despite facing serious environmental degradation challenges, Dedi appreciates the proactive steps taken by West Java’s communities, who have begun independently normalising ecosystems. In various locations, residents have independently captured sucker fish to suppress the dominance of the species. “If previously the sucker fish have been taken by West Java residents,” he said. He added that synchronised efforts between species removal and restoring standard water quality are expected to be the key to saving West Java’s rivers from the threat of local biodiversity extinction.